What does this mean for the life expectancy of a person diagnosed with aphasia? But hold on, do you know what aphasia is? It's a form of communication disorder that usually arises from an injury to the brain, most commonly associated with stroke.
For people living with the condition, questions regarding their future might revolve not just around how their life expectancy is affected by the presence of aphasia. It is also about their health expectancies. Things become complicated when aphasia co-exists with dementia.
This blog will walk you through some of those factors that influence life expectancy in people suffering from aphasia, given that some could be present with dementia.
Aphasia often occurs in individuals who have dementia, especially in the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease.
With the progression of dementia, it is common for the patient's cognitive impairments to eventually include the language centers of the brain and result in aphasia as one of the manifestations of dementia. Aphasia makes communication challenging and caregiving much more complicated when it develops in a patient with a diagnosis of broader dementia. This type of aphasia dementia is highly frustrating both for patients and their caregivers because it affects the ability of people not only to express themselves but also to understand others.
Whereas, as a result of stroke or brain injury, aphasia is often seen in combination with progressive disease in the case of dementia. This makes life expectancy less predictable since aphasia is associated with a general decline in brain functions and affects other health and wellness functions outside communication.
Many factors are decisive for the life expectancy of patients suffering from aphasia, especially accompanied by dementia. Among the most important factors are:
If aphasia arises due to stroke or traumatic brain injury, it's the nature of severity that largely determines the prognosis to live. If it is an important stroke or significant head trauma, life expectancy tends to be short. However, if one suffers a minor stroke or is recovering with rehabilitation, they are likely to live up to a more normal duration of life.
For dementia patients with aphasia, life expectancy is generally tied to the progression of the underlying dementia diagnosis. Life expectancy is substantially diminished among patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias due to deteriorating physical and mental capabilities. On the other hand, years of life may be maintained up to the early stages of aphasia dementia at a higher level. At the same time, complications such as loss of mobility, infection, and swallowing difficulties often contribute to reduced life expectancy at an advanced level.
For stroke or brain injury patients suffering from aphasia, age is a prime consideration in terms of life expectancy. Elderly patients are often expected to have a poor prognosis for recovery from stroke or brain injury mainly because of the decreased overall health that is increasingly associated with advanced age. Exacerbation of age-related diseases, such as heart or diabetic conditions, worsens the prognosis.
A good support network involving family and social relationships may add to the quality of life and facilitate longer life. Long-term survival is better in those who maintain a social network, frequently get regular exercise, and have support that can reinforce well-being emotionally. Depression and poor health are some of the results of social isolation; this may shorten life expectancy.
If aphasia happens in older individuals, there is a high likelihood it will develop along with age-related conditions of dementia, stroke, or other neurological diseases. Stroke-induced aphasia among elderly patients is also conditional upon the severity of the stroke, general condition, and whether rehabilitative attempts are effective. Older people with dementia-induced cognitive impairments in aphasia normally have a shorter life expectancy because dementia accelerates the natural progression of both cognitive and body functions.
For example, patients with Alzheimer's disease combined with aphasia generally live for 4 to 8 years after diagnosis, but this may vary. In these patients, aphasia will typically have little influence on this prognosis, but the later stages of dementia are associated with higher risks of complications like infections, immobility, and malnutrition, which significantly reduce their life expectancy.
Causes of aphasia, whether dementia is present or absent, the severity of dementia, and overall health are all factors that affect life expectancy for an individual with aphasia. Aphasia by itself does not lower life expectancy but complicates the situation, making it challenging to predict outcomes. With proper care, therapy, and support, individuals with aphasia dementia are capable of experiencing complete and meaningful lives. This is because, on the one hand, treatment for aphasia can help overcome many communication challenges. On the other hand, there can be significant opportunities to address cognitive decline due to dementia, thereby improving the overall quality of life as well as life expectancy.
